70 



TEREBINTHACE^. XVII. Rnus. 



is daily used in strengthening plaisters, for which it is deservedly 

 much recommended. It is of a warm discutient nature, and 

 may be used in all swellings arising from colds, both externally 

 and internally. The gum, dissolved in water, is an easy purga- 

 tive, and thought to be extraordinarily diuretic. In Jamaica the 

 tree is frequent enough, and the hogs are said to have recourse 

 to it when wounded in the woods. 



Metoplum or Hog gum-tree. Clt. 1823. Tree 20 feet. 



SECT. III. SU'MACH (el-simac or cs-simac is the Arabian 

 name of some species). D. C. prod. 2. p. 67. Rhiisand Toxi- 

 codendron, Tourn. inst. 381. Mcench. meth. 72. Flowers 

 polygamous, dioecious, or hermaphrodite. Drupe ovate-roundish, 

 usually villous, containing a smooth or striped nut. Shrubs 

 with impari-pinnate leaves or palmately trifoliate ones. Petioles 

 naked or a little winged. Flowers panicled. 



1. Leaves impari-pinnate. 



* Petioles naked. 



5 R. FILICINA (Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon, ined.) leaves 7-9 

 pairs ; petiole naked ; leaflets sessile, pinnatifid, pilose, oblong ; 

 lobes blunt, awned, with a hair. Tj . G. Native of Mexico, on 

 the mountains, where it is called Tctlazian, but it is not the 

 Tetlacian of Hern. mex. p. 153. Fruit covered with violet 

 hairs. 



f'ern-Yike Sumach. Shrub. 



6 R. TYPHINA (Lin. spec. 380.) leaves with 8 or 10 pairs of 

 leaflets ; petioles naked, and are as well as the branches hairy ; 

 leaflets lanceolate, acuminated, serrated, rather pilose beneath. 

 Tj . H. Native of North America, from Canada to Carolina, in 

 rocky dry situations. Duh.arb. ed. nov. 2. t. 47. Wats. dend. 

 brit. t. 17. and 18. R. Virginiana, Bauh. pin. p. 517. The 

 purple velvety berries appear in large close clusters. The leaves 

 change in autumn first to a purplish, but just before they fall 

 to a feuillemort colour. This species, as well as R. coriaria is 

 used for tanning leather ; and the roots are prescribed as a fe- 

 brifugal medicine in the country of its natural growth. 



Var. a, arborescens (D. C. prod. 2. p. 67.) leaves somewhat 

 pubescent beneath. \i . H. Willd. enum. 323. Tree 20 feet. 



Var. ft,frutescens (Willd. 1. c.) leaves white, with pubescence 

 beneath. ^ . H. Shrub 8 feet. 



Fever or Virginian Sumach. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1629. 

 Shrub 8 to 20 feet. 



7 R. VIRIDIFLORA (Poir. diet. 7. p. 504.) leaves with 8-10 

 pairs of leaflets ; petioles naked, and are as well as the branches 

 pilose ; leaflets lanceolate-oblong, serrated, pubescent beneath. 



(7 . H. Native of North America, in Pennsylvania and Virginia, 

 on the edges of woods in dry sunny situations. R. Canadensis, 

 Mill. diet. no. 5. Flowers yellowish-green, probably not much 

 more than a variety of the following species. Racemes of flowers 

 erect. 



Green-flowered Sumach. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. ? Tree 15 ft. 



8 R. GLA'BRA (Lin. spec. 380.) leaves with 8 or 10 pairs of 

 leaflets, and are as well as the branches smooth ; petioles naked ; 

 leaflets lanceolate-oblong, serrated, whitened beneath. Jj . H. 

 Native of North America from New England to Carolina, com- 

 mon in old fields. Flowers greenish-red. Fruit silky, red. 

 They are used for dyeing the same colour, and they are eaten by 

 children with impunity, but they are very sour. On cutting the 

 stem a yellow juice comes out between the bark and the wood. 

 The bark boiled with the fruit affords a black ink-like tincture. 



far. a, hermaphrodita (D. C. prod. 2. p. 67.) flowers herma- 

 phrodite, greenish. R. glabra, Willd. spec. 1, p. 1478. Dill, 

 elth. t. 243. f. 314. 



Var. ft, dioica (D. C. prod. 2. p. 67.) flowers dioecious, 

 greenish. Lam. ill. t. 207. f. 1. 



Var. y, coccinea (D. C. prod. 2. p. 67.) flowers dioecious, red. 

 Fruit scarlet. R. elegans, Ait. hort. kew. 1. p. 162. R. Caro- 

 liniamim, Mill. diet. no. 4.- Cat. car. app. t. 4. Native of 

 South Carolina. 



Smooth or Scarlet Sumach. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1720. 

 Shrub 8 feet. 



9 R. PU MILA (Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 182.) a humble shrub 

 wholly covered with pubescence ; leaves with many pairs of 

 deeply-toothed oval leaflets, which are downy on the under 

 surface; petioles? Tj . H. Native of Upper Carolina. Fruit 

 silky. This is the most poisonous of the genus, according to 

 information from Mr. John Lyon, who by collecting the seed of 

 this species was poisoned all over his body and was lamed for a 

 considerable time. 



Z)?rar/ Sumach. Fl. July. Clt. 1806. Shrub 1 foot. 



10 R. ACUMINA'TA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 68.) leaves with 3 or 4 

 pairs of leaflets, and areas well as the branches smooth ; petioles 

 naked ; leaflets oval, quite entire, with long taper-points, paler 

 beneath, and full of parallel feather nerves. Jj . H. Native of 

 Nipaul. Lateral veins of leaves 20-30, parallel. Panicle of 

 flowers axillary, shorter than the leaves. Flowers dioecious. 



Acmninatcd-leaveA Sumach. Shrub. 



11 R. SUCCEDA'NEA (Lin. mant. 221.) leaves with 5-7 pairs of 

 leaflets, smooth, permanent ; petioles wingless ; leaflets ovate- 

 lanceolate, taper-pointed, shining, netted with veins and glaucous 

 beneath, self-coloured. Tj . G. Native of Japan, Fasi-no-Ki. 

 Kocmpf. amcen. 793. t. 795 Thunb. jap. 121. Drupe ovate, 

 white, about the size of a cherry, containing a smooth nut. 

 The oil of the seeds, expressed whilst warm, acquires the con- 

 sistence of suet, and serves for making candles. The trunk 

 yields a varnish, but in so small a quantity as not to be worth 

 collecting. Osbeck informs us that this is called Tuy-sha in 

 China. 



Succedaneous or Red Lac Sumach. Fl. June, July. Clt. 

 1768. Shrub 10 to 15 feet. 



12 R. NODOSA (Blum, bijdr. 1 164.) leaflets 3-4 pairs, ovate- 

 oblong, entire, bluntly acuminated, a little obliquely attenuated 

 at the base, smooth ; petioles wingless, terete, geniculately 

 knotted ; panicle terminal, fastigiate. Tj . S. Native of Java, 

 on the mountains of Salak, where it is called Kadondang-aroy. 



K /lotled-petioled Sumach. Tree. 



13 R. PUBI'OERA (Blum, bijdr. 11 65.) leaflets 3-7 pairs, ovate- 

 lanceolate, entire, acuminated, a little obliquely attenuated at the 

 base, opaque on both surfaces, and are as well as the petioles 

 somewhat pubescent ; panicles axillary. *j . S. Native of Java. 



Ptibigcrous Sumach. Tree. 



14 R. VERNICIFERA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 68.) leaves with 5-6 

 pairs of leaflets ; petioles naked, and are as well as the branch- 

 lets clothed with soft down ; leaflets elliptic, acute, quite 

 entire, smoothish above, but velvety beneath from pubescence. 

 Tj . G. Native of Japan, where it is called Sitz or Vrus (ex 

 Kcempf. amoen. 791. t. 792.), and of Nipaul. R. vernix, Lin. 

 mat. med. 151. Thunb. jap. 121. but not of others. R. ju- 

 glandifolia, Wall, in Litt. D. Don, prod. fl. nep. 248. but not 

 of Willd. Leaves long, resembling those of a walnut. Thun- 

 berg affirms that the very best Japan varnish is prepared from 

 this tree, which grows in great abundance in many parts of that 

 country, and is likewise cultivated in many places on account of 

 the great advantages derived from it. This varnish, which oozes 

 out of the tree on being wounded, is procured from stems that 

 are three years old, and is received in some proper vessel. At 

 first it is of a lightish colour and of the consistence of cream, 

 but grows thicker and black on being exposed to the air. It is 

 so transparent when laid pure and unmixed upon boxes or fur- 



